2017 Recruiting Class Rankings: Top 25

25. Louisville Cardinals

Bobby Petrino came up with a few great offensive linemen, and he helped out the defensive backfield, but this is a spicy class that’s all about the firepower. The receiving corps is loaded with future stars, the running back of the near future is signed on in Colin Wilson, and the Next QB Up after Lamar Jackson might just be Malik Cunningham.

24. Michigan State Spartans

There might not be anything special coming in compared to Ohio State or Michigan – or this year, Maryland – but it’s a typical class under Mark Dantonio. He and his staff don’t exactly recruit to a type – that implies they can’t bring in good talent – but they’re able to go grab guys who fit what they do and can play. TE Matt Dotson and a good group of pass catchers was the strength of the offense, while Kevin Jarvis is a next-level talent at OT. LB Antjuan Simmons is the star of the defensive gets.

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23. Virginia Tech Hokies

The linebacking corps is deep, and there are a few other defenders here and there, but Justin Fuente’s excellent class is about the offense with a good group of receivers – including the tight ends – and a few good quarterbacks to groom for the gig, potentially right away. RBs Lecitus Smith and Terius Wheatley are both good enough to be thrown to the wolves.

Best Prospect You Should Know: CB Devon HunterStrongest Position: Linebacker

22. Nebraska Cornhuskers

This might be the recruiting season when Nebraska really and truly does make the move up in the passing game. Can Tristan Gebbia be the bomber the offense needs? He might be in the mix for the starting job early on, while the receiving corps should eventually be a killer with three fantastic gets, including Keyshawn Johnson Jr. There’s almost nothing for the secondary and the pass rush, but if the offense rocks from this, everything else will work.

21. UCLA Bruins

The Bruins didn’t get the bulk talent USC did on the other side of town, but they got just enough superstar prospects to help ease rough season, landing the best of the best defensive end prospects in Jaelan Phillips, along with future NFL starting corner Darnay Holmes. The class is missing great options for the offense – forget the skill guys – but is loaded on pass rushers and defensive backs.

Best Prospect You Should Know: DE Jaelan PhillipsStrongest Position: Defensive Back

20. Clemson Tigers

It’s a smallish class, but next year’s should be the whopper. The defending national champs landed a next-level receiver in Tee Higgins, a future all-star defensive back in A.J. Terrell, and their quarterback for, potentially, the right now in Hunter Johnson. It’s truly a quality over quantity class with Dabo Swinney getting starter after starter without any wasted motion. There aren’t a lot of bulk bodies for any one position – again, that’s likely for 2018.

Best Prospect You Should Know: QB Hunter JohnsonStrongest Position: Quarterback

19. Oregon Ducks

Willie Taggart kicked it in late in the recruiting process, and the Ducks took their recruiting class to another level landing CB Deommodore Lenoir long with a few excellent offensive linemen. There’s lots and lots and lots of versatility, with several phenomenal athletes coming in for the new coaching staff to play around with. Taggart was going for speed, and he’s got his running backs to work with for the next few years.

Best Prospect You Should Know: CB Deommodore LenoirStrongest Position: Defensive Back

18. Washington Huskies

Chris Petersen has come up with a few quietly great classes, and this might be his best yet. Now that he has a track record at Washington for sending defensive stars to the NFL, there weren’t many problems coming up with top recruits for the secondary – Petersen might have just nailed it with three future starters. There might not be much for the O line or the running game, but the Dawgs got a few good pass catchers.

Best Prospect You Should Know: TE Hunter BryantStrongest Position: Defensive Back

17. Miami Hurricanes

Mark Richt was having an okay recruiting season, and then he kicked it in with three National Signing Day commitments, bringing in receiver Mike Harley and Jeff Thomas, and DB Jhavonte Dean, to make it a big year. This isn’t the Miami recruiting class that’s going to bring a national title, and it’s not like some of Richt’s big hauls at Georgia, but it’s strong. The program has its passer in N’Kosi Perry or Cade Weldon, and the defense came up with a few upgrades in the secondary and defensive front.

16. Stanford Cardinal

Stanford is making the offensive line cool. The Farm is a factory for superstar blockers, and Walker Little and Foster Sarell are the next guys up. It’s not a very large class, but there’s almost no waste. Of course there will be a few misfires, but this is the quality over quantity class. With the was David Shaw and his staff can develop talent, this is a recruiting season of starters, not guesses.

Best Prospect You Should Know: QB Davis MillsStrongest Position: Offensive Line

15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Brian Kelly didn’t get the elite of elite prospects, but he came up with enough strong talents for the lines to set the foundation for the next few years. It’s a class for the O, but without the top skill guys. With the way the Irish have been cranking up NFL players on the lines, getting star players like Robert Hainsey and Joshua Lugg for the offensive front, and anchoring things with Darnell Ewell for the D, it’s a good haul.

Best Prospect You Should Know: TE Brock WrightStrongest Position: Offensive Line

14. Maryland Terrapins

Who knew Maryland had this coming? D.J. Durkin came up with one of the best National Signing Day stories, locking in RB Anthony McFarland and versatile WR/DB Tahj Capehart to finish off an already shocking class. Local star after local star signed on, with the running backs great, the defensive backs stellar, and the talent level upgraded in a big, big way across the board.

Best Prospect You Should Know: QB Kasim HillStrongest Position: Defensive Back

13. Penn State Nittany Lions

James Franklin crushed it for the secondary getting Tariq Castro-Fields late in the process to throw onto the pile of several great defensive backs. Picking up DT Corey Bolds and LB Ellis Brooks late in the process helped out an already fantastic defensive haul of talent.

Best Prospect You Should Know: CB Lamont WadeStrongest Position: Defensive Back

12. Florida Gators

The big complaint so far in the Jim McElwain era has been the lack of five-star talent coming in. Whatever – he’s sending guys to the NFL, and this class has more of them. The defensive line just restocked the shelves, while the secondary that’s getting used to putting its players in the first round got more big-time athletes. Add in RB Adarius Lemons on Signing Day, and it was a good run for the Gator staff.

Best Prospect You Should Know: DE Zachary CarterStrongest Position: Defensive Tackle

11. Auburn Tigers

It’s a class full of versatility with Alaric Williams and Malcom Askew able to be tried out in several positions. But it’s the offensive line that got the bulk of the stars to go along with a good-looking defensive front helped by linebackers Tadarian Moultry and K.J. Britt. It’s a solid class from top to bottom, helped out on Signing Day with a few excellent prospects for the defensive line, bulking up an already good recruiting season.

Best Prospect You Should Know: OT Calvin AshleyStrongest Position: Offensive Line

10. Tennessee Volunteers

There wasn’t much happening on Signing Day, and there weren’t any top-shelf recruits who made a ton of noise, but it’s a rock-solid haul, especially on defense. The receivers are good, the running backs are great, but defensive backs coming in are outstanding and getting DT Kivon Bennett and DE LaTrell Bumphis was terrific.

Best Prospect You Should Know: OT Trey SmithStrongest Position: Defensive Back

9. Texas A&M Aggies

It might not have received the national attention of some of the other big SEC classes, but it turned out to be tremendous with a loaded group of receivers for Baylor recommitment Kellen Mond to throw to. The linebackers are solid, and the pass rushers are coming in by the bucket load. There wasn’t much happening on National Signing Day – Kevin Sumlin did his work early.

Best Prospect You Should Know: QB Kellen MondStrongest Position: Defensive End

8. LSU Tigers

Ed Orgeron closed strong. A good class became great – even though he lost out on top DT Marvin Wilson to Florida State – getting CB Todd Harris and DE K’Lavon Chaisson on Signing Day. The linebackers brought in would get all the headlines if it wasn’t for JaCoby Stevens and the special defensive backs coming in.

Best Prospect You Should Know: DT Tyler ShelvinStrongest Position: Defensive Back

7. Oklahoma Sooners

Unfortunately, there were so many big stories and splashy moves by other teams on National Signing Day, Oklahoma’s terrific class got lost in the shuffle. It shouldn’t – it’s the best in the Big 12 by far. It’s a fun recruiting season with plenty of offensive skill players to keep all the fun going for the high-powered attack.

6. Georgia Bulldogs

It’s not necessarily a bad thing when your best prospect probably won’t see the field for a few years, but QB Jake Fromm might just be good enough to provide a bit of a challenge for Jacob Eason. More than anything else, though, for a team that needs to plug a slew of holes on the offensive front, this is a fantastic class that should at least help out the depth right away.

Best Prospect You Should Know: OG Isaiah WilsonStrongest Position: Offensive Line

5. Michigan Wolverines

Apparently, Michigan would like to start throwing the ball more. It was already a good class of receivers, but getting Nico Collins and Oliver Martin helped make it amazing. Landing DT Aubrey Solomon on National Signing Day was just another big grab to go along with LB Jordan Anthony and QB Dylan McCaffrey.

4. USC Trojans

Just when it seemed like USC had a nice recruiting season to set the stage for a potentially massive 2018, then came National Signing Day. WR Joseph Lewis, OT Austin Jackson, LB Levi Jones and his t-shirts, TE Josh Falo, and WR/DB Greg Johnson took the class to a whole other level. And then, in a big shocker, landing DT Jay Tuefele made this a special haul.

Best Prospect You Should Know: WR Joseph LewisStrongest Position: Offensive Line

3. Florida State Seminoles

It was a really, really good class, and then … kaboom. Florida State moved up thanks to the NFL-caliber gets Jimbo Fisher was able to get late in the process. It was a coup stealing away DT Marvin Wilson away from LSU, overshadowing the signing of LB Leonard Warner. Along with the last few classes, there’s no excuse not to be in the College Football Playoff hunt – the Noles have too much talent.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

It’s being taken for granted easy Urban Meyer and his staff makes it look to bring in NFL talent. There were a few disappointments and missed gets, but whatever – this is a national championship-caliber class that’ll load up the draft in a few years. From QB Tate Martell, to DE Chase Young, to WR Trevon Grimes, to S Shaun Wade, to OT Wyatt Davis, it’s yet another amazing haul of amazing college prospects.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

How insanely amazing have Alabama’s recruiting classes become? It’s able to grayshirt – delay his enrollment for a year – a superstar prospect like DE Jarez Parks, who had offers from just about everyone else, too. The class is just stupid-good, with unbelievable, next-level talent at almost every spot, with players like QB Tua Tagovailoa, OT Alex Leatherwood, WR Jerry Jeudy, LB Dylan Moses, and on, and on, and on, just parts of the puzzle – each one would be the top-line star-of-the-class at almost any other school.

Best Prospect You Should Know: RB Najee HarrisStrongest Position: Offensive Line